Bells Will Be Ringing
by Beaglicious
Summary: The best Christmas presents aren't always found beneath the tree. Holiday fic. SC. No spoilers.


**Bells Will Be Ringing**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing relating to CSI:Miami. CBS and associated parties retain all rights and privileges.**

**Summary: The best Christmas presents aren't always found beneath the tree. SC. No spoilers.**

The Christmas tree was small, but its white lights twinkled merrily, seemingly oblivious to the blatantly un-festive mood of the room's sole occupant. Stretched out on the couch, half-covered by a worn throw-blanket, the occupant stared blankly at the lights, for once unmoved by the cheerful atmosphere they created as their lights bounced brightly around the darkened room. Despite the occupant's obvious frown, the lights shone on, fighting fiercely, if hopelessly, against the suffocating atmosphere of gloom. In two hours it would be Christmas Eve, and even though the official temperature in Miami was 65 degrees, the Christmas Spirit was in full swing, except for in this one apartment, where the yuletide cheer had never successfully managed to take root.

Calleigh Duquesne had been staring at the little tree for over two hours now, its lights occasionally blurred by tears that filled her eyes but never quite managed to break free and run down her cheeks. She normally loved Christmas. Everything about the season – the warmth, the laughter, the proverbial goodwill towards men – it was as if the season had been designed with her in mind.

But this year the holiday season had only served to deepen Calleigh's depression, a sadness that had been building since late August when the temperature was still well into the nineties and even the most ambitious of retailers hadn't yet dared to showcase their Christmas wares. She had fought valiantly at first, resolving to decorate her apartment as usual. It wasn't until she finished decorating the tiny tree and plugged in the lights that she began to cry.

This wasn't how it was supposed to be, she thought, kicking angrily at the blanket twisted around her feet. She was supposed to be with Tim, laughing gleefully while he pretended to be bored, even slightly annoyed, with the festivities at hand. Ever since their young relationship had turned serious in early July, she had been envisioning them together at Christmas. She'd had it all worked out in her head – she would beg Tim to help her decorate on Thanksgiving weekend, and he would grumble about it half-heartedly for a few days until finally giving in, unable to resist her charming point. Then they would set up her tree (because somehow, she just couldn't imagine that Tim would even have a tree tucked away somewhere in storage), hang the lights and carefully add the ornaments. It would be during this time that Calleigh would glance over and catch Tim unaware, and she would see through his unguarded expression that he was actually enjoying himself. Then they would light a fire (the fact that the Miami weather rarely, if ever, warranted a fire was a small detail Calleigh chose to overlook), curl up under a blanket with mugs of cocoa and watch "It's a Wonderful Life." Calleigh would sniffle and Tim would smirk, but eventually her tears would ignite his protective instincts, and he would slowly begin to kiss away every ounce of sorrow in her. Where things led to after that was a scenario that never failed to make Calleigh's ears burn.

They had started dating in February, on Valentine's Day to be exact, through a rather haphazard combination of circumstances. Tim had been covering the trace lab for the swing shift technician who was newly married and anxious to spend the evening with his new bride. Calleigh had had a date lined up with a high powered attorney she'd met a few weeks earlier when testifying for a case, but he'd cancelled at the last minute, leaving Calleigh alone and more than a bit miffed. She had stalked into the lab around 7pm, wearing faded jeans and a casual top, but her hair fell in soft ringlets around her shoulders and her lips were still colored a deep cherry red. She smelled faintly of Chanel, and when she stepped into the trace lab to say hello to Tim, he found that he couldn't take his eyes off of her. Anxious for company, Calleigh had brought her ballistics paperwork up to Tim's lab, and the two had spent a pleasant evening immersed in evidence and conversation. Eleven o'clock and the end of his shift had arrived all too quickly for Tim, and he found himself stalling. When Calleigh had begun to gather up her paperwork as well, Tim had recklessly invited her to join him for a late supper. To his surprise, Calleigh had readily agreed, and within the hour they had found themselves munching on turkey sandwiches and staring into each other's eyes. The tension between them had been palpable, so when Tim finally worked up the nerve to kiss Calleigh good-night at her car, it had been no surprise when she had eagerly kissed him back. Tim had woken up the next morning with Calleigh tucked in his arms and the couple had never looked back.

Calleigh had been ecstatic about their relationship, and even though Tim had still worn his normal bored expression at work, it was easily apparent that he was more relaxed. There was a sense of contentment about him that had never before been evident. In short, life for Calleigh and Tim had been nearly perfect, but it wasn't meant to stay that way.

By virtue of his early arrival one morning in August, Tim had been called in to collect evidence for a case that quickly had the FBI swarming around it, and his awareness of key pieces of evidence had made him a valuable commodity to the feds. Not three days later, the regional director had met with Horatio and announced that Tim was being pulled into the federal investigation and was to go undercover to collect key evidence that could bring down one of Miami's powerful drug cartels. Horatio and Tripp had been unable to stop them, and when Tim had arrived in the lab later that morning, he was quickly and discretely carted off by the Feds, all communication with the outside world instantly severed.

Horatio had had the unfortunate task of informing Calleigh that Tim was gone for an unspecified amount of time. He had had no answers to her plethora of questions, and could only promise that he was working as hard as possible to bring Tim home to her.

Calleigh had been inconsolable. Because she and Tim were not married, the feds had been unwilling to make any provisions for her to have any contact or communication with him. They had steadfastly refused to tell her where he was, what he was doing and when he would return. Tim had been gone for almost four months now, and with each passing day Calleigh's hope that he would return faded a little more.

Calleigh stared at her darkened TV. 'It's a Wonderful Life' was scheduled to start at any minute, but Calleigh couldn't bring herself to watch it. Tomorrow morning she would head to the airport to vie for a standby seat to Louisiana. Despite the fact that her entire family – parents, brothers, sisters-in-laws, nieces and nephews – would be in attendance, Calleigh was dreading the trip. She loved her family, treasured each of her five nieces and nephews and adored her three sisters-in-law. But as the oldest child, sole daughter and only sibling left unmarried, Calleigh knew that the long weekend would only remind her of everything she and Tim could have had, should have had, but didn't. She wasn't even sure at this point if it was fair to say that she still had a boyfriend, although she had used that excuse more than once over the past few months to ward off potential suitors.

Calleigh sighed and leaned her head back against the cushions, closing her eyes to block out the twinkling lights of her small tree. The sound of her doorbell ringing caused her to sit up with a fright, her heart racing with panic until she remembered that she had ordered a pizza over an hour earlier. Calleigh flung off the blanket and stood up, stretching her arms high above her head, an action which caused her shirt to rise up as well, exposing a few inches of her flat stomach. Tim had always found it incredibly sexy, and was usually unable to resist running his hands across her exposed skin and pressing a chaste kiss just above her naval. Calleigh flung her arms down despondently at the thought of the memory.

The doorbell rang again. "Just a minute!" Calleigh called out, shaking her head. The delivery boy certainly was impatient tonight, although Calleigh couldn't really blame him. He probably had a girlfriend he was anxious to see, and perhaps had her wrapped gift squirreled away in the trunk of his car. Calleigh's eyes flew over to a small box tucked far beneath the tree. The gift was simply wrapped in silver paper overlaid with a tasteful holly design in white and adorned with a single white ribbon. Calleigh knew that it had been ridiculously hopeful to buy a present for Tim, but she'd had the gift for over two months, and as the skirt around her tree had been pitifully bare, she'd wrapped the gift and placed it under the tree. It was now the only present left under her tree. She had long since shipped her family's gifts to Louisiana, and had dispensed with the rest at Alexx's annual Christmas party earlier that evening. What her unconscious self wouldn't admit was her belief that wrapping Tim's gift and placing it under the tree would bring him home.

Calleigh forced herself to push thoughts of Tim out of her mind and headed for the door, stopping in the kitchen to scoop her billfold out of her pocketbook. She was just reaching to release the latch when the delivery boy began to pound on her door. "Okay, okay," Calleigh said as she quickly flipped the locks and flung open the door. In her haste, her billfold fell from her hands, and she bent down to pick it up.

"Sorry," she called up to the delivery boy. Having successfully retrieved her billfold, Calleigh pushed her hair behind her ear and caught a glimpse of his shoes. The scruffy black leather shoes were faded and nondescript, but there was something familiar about them. Calleigh looked up at the delivery boy and gasped. Smiling down at her, a pizza box balanced on the open palm of his left hand, was Tim. His right arm was in a sling, and a long gash stretched from his left eye down to his jaw. He had a black right eye, and his beard was scruffier than usual. His hair was longer and curled over the tops of his ears, and he'd lost at least ten pounds since disappearing in August, so that his jeans hung dangerously low on his hips and his cheeks appeared hollow. Calleigh thought he'd never looked more handsome.

"Hey babe," he said softly, his voice retaining the same gravely quality it always had.

"Tim!" Calleigh shrieked, straightening up quickly and throwing herself against his body, her arms entwined around his neck and her head pressed to his chest, inhaling the intoxicating scent that was uniquely Tim. Tim staggered backwards, his balance thrown off by Calleigh's momentum and the pizza in his left hand. Calleigh stepped back just enough to keep them from toppling over, then pried her right hand away from Tim to grab the pizza box and chuck it onto the floor.

His unbroken arm finally free, Tim returned Calleigh's hug with equal enthusiasm, squeezing her body so tightly to his that Calleigh thought her ribs might crack. Tim nuzzled Calleigh's neck, the scruff of his days-old beard leaving a rash in its wake. After a few moments, Calleigh pulled back and cradled Tim's head in her hands, meeting his eyes for the first time, their noses nearly touching. "You're back," she whispered, her eyes brimming with tears. "You came home." She silently traced the gash on his face with her index finger, a worried expression on her face.

Tim pulled Calleigh's hand away from his face. "It's nothing," he said, releasing her hand and wrapping his arm around her waist once more. "I am so sorry, Cal," he said, his eyes dark with shame. "You have to believe that I would have never done this to you willingly. They didn't give me a chance. I showed up that morning and they literally threw me in a van, confiscated my cell phone and drove off."

Tim paused to take a breath, but Calleigh cut him off before he could start speaking again by pressing her lips to his. Tim's face registered first surprise, then relief, and finally love.

Calleigh pulled away and whispered, "It's okay, Tim. I know you had no control over it. All that matters is that you're home now."

Tim said nothing. He was mesmerized by the sight of Calleigh, and blinked his eyes several times, convinced that she was an apparition who would fade at any moment. He'd suffered a bad concussion; perhaps his bruised brain was playing tricks on him.

Calleigh began to panic when Tim remained silent. "You are home to stay, right?" she said, her voice cracking. Her voice drew Tim out of his thoughts and back to the current situation.

"I'm not going anywhere, Cal," he reassured her, bringing one hand up to thread it through her hair.

"Oh yes, you are," Calleigh sassed, a mischievous glint in her eye. She grabbed Tim's hand and pulled him forward, backing into her apartment and kicking the door shut.

"What about the pizza?" Tim asked, looking over his shoulder.

"Forget the pizza," Calleigh said, pulling Tim over to the couch and down onto it, their limbs tangling against each other as they fell despite Calleigh's attempt to be mindful of Tim's bandaged arm. Calleigh began to press kisses all over Tim's face, first kissing a trail down the wound on his cheek, then gently kissing both his eyes and nose before attacking his lips. Tim kept his hand threaded in Calleigh's hair, gently massaging her scalp and allowing her essence to overwhelm each of his senses.

"I got you a present," Tim said when they finally broke for air.

"I don't need a present," Calleigh mumbled, her eyes half-shut and a satisfied look on her face. "I've got you back and that's all that matters."

Tim face took on a wicked grin. "This is one present I think you'll want to open," he said.

"But you didn't bring anything in with you," Calleigh argued.

Tim kissed Calleigh soundly one last time and slid out from under her. He crouched down next to the couch and balanced on his heels. Calleigh rolled onto her side to face him, reaching one arm out to run her fingers through his hair. "I still can't believe you're really here," she whispered.

Tim turned his head sideway and kissed Calleigh's palm. "I thought about you every day while I was gone, Cal. I spent so many nights camped out in the cold on surveillance, going crazy with boredom and incredibly angry at the circumstances that pulled me away from you. It was miserable, Cal. The people in charge were beyond incompetent. I could have been home months ago if they had gotten their act together. But every time I got aggravated and thought my temper was going to get the best of me, I thought about you – about how much I loved you and how when you smile at me I can actually believe that everything is going to be okay. I had a gun held to my head more than once, Cal. But I told myself that I was going to make it home alive, because I wasn't going to leave you twice. And when I'd nearly run myself ragged with exhaustion, working 36 hour shifts and having to beg for two hours of sleep before being handed a cup of coffee and pulled out to work again, I told myself that the more I worked, the sooner we'd get done and the quicker I could come home to you. It always came back to you, Calleigh. Everything I did or didn't do, it was always because of you – always because I wanted to get home to you."

Calleigh was openly weeping now, the tears running down her face in hot streams. "They wouldn't tell me where you were, Tim," she said. "Horatio called in all sorts of favors, but we couldn't find out anything. It was like you were dead, and I didn't even get to say goodbye." She stopped to wipe away the tears. "I didn't even know if you were coming back, but I told myself everyday that you were, because that hope was the only thing that kept me going."

"It's over now, Cal," Tim said. "I promise. I'm back in Miami, and I'm here to stay. I'm not going to leave you again." Tim paused and stuck his hand in his pocket, fumbling. He frowned, then looked up at Calleigh and smiled. "It's hard getting used to doing everything with my left hand," he said sheepishly. He apparently found what he was looking for, because he pulled his hand out of his pocket and re-focused his entire attention on Calleigh.

Tim took a deep breath. "Calleigh, I love you. I love you so much. I don't know why you love me, but I'm thankful that you do. Cal, I don't want to spend another day on this earth without you. And if you'd do me the honor, I'd like to spend those days as your husband." Tim paused and brought his hand up, opening it to reveal a tiny jeweler's box.

"Calleigh, will you marry me?"

Tim's expression was neutral, but his nervousness was evident in the rapid blinking of his eyes. Calleigh's smile was radiant, even as the tears she'd managed to suppress earlier streamed down her face once more. "Oh, Tim," she sighed, leaning in to kiss him on the lips. "Yes," she whispered before kissing him again. "Yes, yes, yes," she continued, punctuating each yes with a kiss. "A thousand times and forever, yes." Calleigh deepened the kiss after her final yes.

It was several moments before they separated, Calleigh's face still wet with tears and Tim's heart pounding wildly. He managed to flip open the jeweler's box and present it to Calleigh, who gasped and then squealed with delight.

"We can get something else if you don't like it," Tim quickly added. He'd just bought the ring that afternoon, and he'd had his doubts from the moment he signed the credit card receipt. The saleslady had eyed him warily when he'd entered the store, but had warmed up to him once Tim told her what size ring he was looking for. She had assured him that a solitaire setting was perfect for the engagement, and reminded him that he could always bring Calleigh in to change the setting once they were engaged.

Calleigh looked up from the ring and shot Tim a look. "I'm not _exchanging_ my engagement ring, Tim. Besides, it's perfect. How did you know I liked princess cut?"

Tim smiled and shrugged his shoulders. Some secrets were better left as such.

Tim pulled the one-carat diamond solitaire from its box. Calleigh held out her left hand, and Tim slid the ring over her finger easily. Calleigh immediately held her hand out at arm's length to admire it. "It's beautiful, Tim." She paused. "You didn't have to do this, you know," she added. "I would have married you with or without a ring."

It was Tim's turn to look incredulously at Calleigh. "Yes I did, Cal."

Calleigh opened her mouth to protest again, but Tim leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. "Didn't your mother ever tell you not to look a gift horse in the mouth? Please take the ring, Cal."

Calleigh's lips curled into a smile against Tim's. "Okay," she said. "Thank you."

Tim pulled away from Calleigh and looked at his watch. "Aren't we supposed to be watching 'It's a Wonderful Life'?"

"What?" Calleigh asked, her brain too wrapped up in Tim's return and their subsequent engagement to think of anything else.

Tim grabbed the remote and stood up. "You stay right there," he instructed, flipping on the TV and quickly setting it to the appropriate channel. He tossed the remote onto the couch and headed for Calleigh's kitchen.

"What are you doing, Tim?" Calleigh called out, distressed that he was out of her sight.

"Just sit tight, okay?" he called back. Calleigh snuggled back into couch, pulling the blanket up over her and ignoring the movie in favor of staring at her ring. She smiled and wiped at her eyes. An idea was quickly forming in the back of her head; she could only hope that Tim would be agreeable to it.

In ten minutes Tim was back at her side, curled up next to her under the blanket. He'd retrieved the pizza from the hallway, and both he and Calleigh were holding steaming mugs of cocoa. He'd meant to make a fire as well, but Calleigh had no firewood and was impatient to get Tim back on the couch and into her arms.

Tim was emphatic that they watch the movie, and even though Calleigh appreciated his gesture of observing her holiday ritual, she was more interested in getting started with a welcome home ritual. Tim had his good arm draped around Calleigh's shoulders, and Calleigh had her body pressed up against his, her mouth pressing kisses to his face and her hand trailing lazily across his abdomen.

"Calleigh," Tim groaned, her touch rapidly unraveling his good intentions.

"What, Tim?" she asked innocently.

"Please pay attention to the movie," he begged.

"They're going to replay this at least four times tomorrow," Calleigh said. "I can watch it then."

The news of a later showing erased the last of Tim's resolve. He leaned forward to set his mug down, plucking Calleigh's untouched cocoa out of her hand as well. With their hot drinks out of the way, Tim lay down on the couch, pulling Calleigh on top of him. In the corner, the tiny tree continued to shine, its lights winking as if to indicate that they alone were privy to a very good secret indeed.

_Epilogue_

Even though it was 6 am on Christmas morning, the Miami airport was packed. Calleigh and Tim sat on uncomfortable plastic chairs, content but exhausted. With Tim's return, Calleigh had put off her return to Louisiana by one day. It had been a tiring but satisfying Christmas Eve, and they had spent the majority of it with their co-workers, welcoming Tim back and celebrating the couple's engagement. Calleigh's head was resting on Tim's shoulder. "This is the best Christmas ever," she declared.

Tim pressed a kiss to her crown. "It's just the first of many, babe," he answered.

The intercom interrupted their conversation. "Would stand-by passengers Speedle, party of two, please report to the desk for check-in?"

Calleigh smiled up at Tim. "I like the way that sounds, don't you?"

Tim grinned back at Calleigh. "I'm just still not sure why you wanted to pass on a big wedding for a quickie at city hall. Your family's going to think I knocked you up."

Calleigh sighed good-naturedly. "Tim, when are you going to believe that all I cared about was being married to you, not the circumstances of how that happened?"

Tim shrugged. "I guess I'm just still in shock that you said yes."

Calleigh laughed. "Well now you're stuck with me, so you better start believing it." She stood up. "Let's go get our tickets. I can't wait for everyone to meet you."

Two hours later they landed in Louisiana. Calleigh's entire family met them at the airport, and quickly enveloped both Calleigh and Tim with hugs and Christmas greetings. The noise and chatter nearly overwhelmed Tim, but he kept his hand firmly clasped with Calleigh's and tried to smile.

It was Calleigh's youngest brother, Chris, who first demanded an explanation for Tim's presence. "Who is this?" he asked, his eyes narrowing suspiciously at Tim's bedraggled appearance.

Calleigh hugged Tim tightly before addressing her family. "This," she began, "is my husband, Tim." The squealing and hugging started up again, causing not only Tim but most of Calleigh's brothers and her father to close their eyes and grimace.

Calleigh's father was the first to speak once the group quieted. "I've heard of dragging men to the altar, but you really roughed this guy up, Lambchop." Calleigh's whole family laughed, and Calleigh kissed Tim's uncut cheek.

"I had nothing to do with this, Daddy," she answered, her drawl thickening with every word. "But I did drag him to the altar. We got married yesterday."

"Welcome to the family, son," her father said, grasping Tim's hand firmly. "Don't make me have to rough you up any more."

Tim's eye's widened. "Knock it off, Daddy," Calleigh said, swatting at him. "Tim's a great guy." She clasped her arms around Tim's waist. "I love you," she whispered into his ear.

Tim smiled back at her. "I love you too," he answered. "Merry Christmas, babe."

_The End_


End file.
